COMPANY bosses will get lessons from students next week during an event designed to make Bahraini businesses more responsible.

More than 300 young people will share ideas with Bahraini business leaders during the First Youth to Business Forum - Bahrain.

It is being organised by AIESEC Bahrain and will bring socially-conscious youth face to face with senior figures in the private sector.

Young participants will come up with new ideas on how firms can give back to the community through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes, while at the same time achieving sustainable, responsible growth.

Business representatives will outline problems they are facing through speeches, interactive workshops and a panel discussion.

"The idea of this event is to have a very unique interaction between the business community and youth," AIESEC business development director Sabeeka Al Shamlan told a Press conference at the Bahrain Business Incubator Centre, Hidd, yesterday.

"The concept of CSR will be explained to youth who will come up with ideas for CSR that they will give to companies.

"We will take the CSR initiatives of students and try to communicate and implement them with companies."

The forum will be held under the patronage of Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Hassan Fakhro at the Bahrain Society of Engineers, Juffair, on November 2, from 8am to 5pm.

It will be attended by 150 AIESEC members and 150 university students and graduates.

In the first session, business leaders will present real CSR issues that their organisations are facing.

Topics will cover CSR implementation in education, health, youth empowerment and for people with special needs.

In the second session, young participants will form groups and come up with practical solutions using business models and the input and support of workshop partners.

"We want to take the initiatives of the youth and put them into practice, it's an amazing forum that is travelling around the world," AIESEC Bahrain president Ines Baricevic told the GDN.

"I recently attended one in India and Kenya. It's great to see companies excited about engaging with youth, it's no longer lecture-style learning.

"AIESEC's aim is to shape leaders and make individuals change agents for the future, it's about empowering youth."

Students and recent graduates interested in participating in the event should visit www.aiesec.org/bahrain.

Meanwhile, AIESEC will hold a leadership conference for its members from across the world at the Monroe Bahrain Hotel, Manama, from November 3 to 5.

The fifth AIESEC Gulf Conference is one of the biggest events for youth in the region and brings together university students to develop skills, build competencies and share ideas that can improve society.

The goal is to support GCC countries' strategic plans, make youth from the region aware of their leadership potential and tackle key issues facing the Gulf.

More than 150 members from four Gulf countries will take part in the event, coming up with strategic plans, reviewing initiatives and undergoing training.

AIESEC, the world's largest student-run organisation, is the international platform for young people to explore and develop their leadership potential to have a positive impact on society.

The organisation is located in 110 countries and territories, provides 13,000 leadership opportunities, 13,000 exchanges annually and has 5,000 partners.